2/8/11

So you've heard this story before....love those almond joys BUT they need to be 'kicked up'. Me and my endless task(s) of making candies, cookies, cakes, muffins, etc... better is a never ending journey people. But have no fear I will prevail and continue on--just for you. :-)This was on the 'to create' list for some time now: "kick up the infamous almond joy". I can now cross that off the list. Need I say these are just fabulous? They are. They are also very very rich. And I must warn you a little hard to handle; the crumbles fall apart in this shape. So if you were to make these, consider doing so in a tart pan instead. It'll work a lot easier for handling.

**Side note: a lot of you have asked why the copyright stamp on all the photos? It ruins the photos to see wording on there. I agree! But I have so much photo theft that I have to put it on there. I wish people would make their own photos and stop using mine, but that doesn't happen. So sadly I have to put these watermarks on there. I hate it too, trust me.A wonderful friend of mine Deb from tasteandtellblog.comdid a fun little interview on meand my blog. Come check it out here.

Combine coconut with condensed milk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set in fridge.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and in a bowl combine it with the crushed cookies and salt. Mix well and pour into greased muffin cups or tart pan (with removable bottom).Bake the crust for about 10 – 15 minutes or until set. Don’t let it brown! Let cool completely.When cooled fill cups with a nice size scoop of the coconut mixture; making sure to NOT let the mixture touch the sides of the pan. We want the chocolate to drip down the sides (see photo). Cover muffin pan with parchment paper and let set up in fridge for at least a couple hours.Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler. Remove coconut bites from muffin pan, and set on wire rack to pour chocolate over. Or you could leave them in the cups and pour chocolate into cups. They should release out fine (I don’t know as I used the wire racks to cover in chocolate). Top with smokey almonds. Let set before devouring.

Notes: you could use a tart pan instead of muffin cups. Make sure to grease your pans well. I don’t know if milk chocolate would work in this. And remember the cookie crust is delicate, so use the coconut as your base when ready to drizzle with chocolate.

OMG! OK, I'm not just saying this for fun -- my heart literally skipped a beat when I read Lorna Doones. Those are hands down my favorite packaged cookie ever. So besides the fact that the coconut, almonds and chocolate look delicious, the Lorna Doones have sold me here! :)

There seriously has to be a law agains having such obscene deliciousness pop up on screen so very early in the day (only 10:30am here in Manila). I never enjoyed coconut in candy bars as a child, but now I can't get enough of them! I am bookmarking these for upcoming party treats. Of course, I will have to make a batch first - y'know, to test them out...

Mmm, yum. Definitely kicked up a notch! My husband bought some smoked almonds and as I keep seeing the bag of them, I've wondered if I could use them in a sweet dessert. We love Almond Joy. Might have to give this a try!

I luv what you've done here with these mini bites...but even more especially because they're like Almond Joys (one of three of my favorite candies). I need to try these!

It's a good idea what you've done with the watermark across your images. I've debated going that route too. It is just too bad that folks find blogs/sites a free-for-all grabbing work(s) without permission and/or credit.

um- you had me at cookie crust! Mandi and I were talking about our favorite desserts and I always say mine would just be graham or cookie crust with nothing in it...or maybe just whipped cream haha. Hope you're doing well!

and happy V-day to you. I'm sorry I've missed so many of your posts, I was in the middle of changing domains, and redesigning the site (which is still an ongoing process), and my mum has not been feeling well recently, when you add that with work.... I wanted to stop by and give you the new address, hope you'll bookmark it and come visit sometime.

Sorry that I haven't been here lately but my husband & I just baught our 1st house!! yeah!! It is our dream house. Too bad that you don't live near us otherwise I would invite you to dinner @ the new house. I have a 5 pits gas stove. Do you have any tips on cooking on gas??? I never tried that!

Kisses! I moved my blog to wordpress.com/ Come over @ my blog & check it out! You must update your RSS too!

Okay, call me silly. I just came across this while searching for bar recipes that are different. Shouldn't the chocolate be drizzled over the coconut side and not the cookie side, as shown in the photos?Thanks!

the chocolate (in the photo) is drizzled over the cookie crust. i did it this way as the cookie crust, if used as a base is delicate (as stated in the notes).of course you could do it whatever way you desire.hope this helps you

about vanilla sugar blog

Unique eats, creative recipes, as simple as possible.What drives me to create? Seeing dishes in restaurants, meals created on TV, recipes in cookbooks/online, and I always think to myself why didn’t they add this or why did they leave out that? Love to question, love to research, and love to learn about combining different flavors and textures in recipes.Recipe creations please email: vanillasugarblog@aol.com